Dedicated: MF Priest and Single Mother

by Clara Jenkins

  Karen woke the following afternoon. She felt sore, but satisfied. Her memory of the previous night was sketchy. She was sure, however, that it had been amazing.

  Tyler was confused and embarrassed when he awoke. His head was pounding. His mouth felt full of cotton and he was unsure of what exactly had happened after the fundraiser. Had he actually allowed Karen to be used in a threesome with Caleb, or had that been a dream? After all, Tyler dreamed about kinky sex with Karen often. This time though, his body screamed out that it had really happened.

  Caleb was elated. He had shared a threesome with Tyler’s girlfriend. He guaranteed that Tyler hated that. One point went to Caleb for causing Tyler stress. As for Karen, Caleb wanted to get close to her and you couldn’t get any closer than sex. He gave himself a second point for that. He showered, dressed and headed out the door. A report was due to his backers and he was going to give it to them in person. He had a question of his own. What had happened to his insider at Tyler’s company? Caleb frowned as he walked to his car. Something was wrong. He saw the slashed tires and the note painted on the hood. Fear overcame his anger as he read, ‘Your throat is next unless you stop him.’ Caleb knew they meant he must stop Tyler. The companies that Tyler was taking over weren’t actually Caleb’s. They belonged to his backers. Caleb had nothing and he had caused them the loss of a shipment of stolen goods and guns with his search and seizure idea. Caleb no longer wondered about the insider. He was sure that the man had been silenced for good. Caleb feared that he was next.

  Chapter 8

  Tyler also found his tires slashed. The message dug into his hood simply said, ‘Stop or die.’ The police were no longer enough. Tyler called a buddy in the FBI. His friend showed up quickly. No fingerprints were found. The car was searched and declared bomb free. They found a tracking device under the bumper and removed it. Two agents were assigned as bodyguards for Tyler. His buddy suggested that Tyler carry a gun. Tyler agreed. He also decided to delay the final details of his latest take over. It would definitely be better for his health.

  Tyler went back into his home and called Karen. He was going to let her know that he was sending men to guard her as well. When her voicemail picked up the call, Tyler assumed she was either sleeping or in the shower. He left a message and called in some heavy hitters to serve as her bodyguards. His next call was to Caleb. Tyler wanted to impress upon him the fact that nothing like the previous night would ever happen again. Caleb’s phone was off. Tyler shrugged his shoulders and made the decision to face Karen in person. He stopped for roses, candy and the antique diamond bracelet that Karen had hinted she wanted. Tyler owed her big time for the drunken threesome he had allowed to happen and the danger she was now in.

  His cell rang just three blocks from Karen’s. One of the men he sent to protect Karen was calling. He reported, “You’re not going to like this. The police were here when we arrived. The neighbors called when they heard popping noises coming from the apartment. The windows were shot out and the house tossed. Karen’s car is in the same shape. She is nowhere to be found.” Tyler freaked out and floored the gas pedal. His tires squealed as he rounded the corner and saw the flashing lights ahead. The gears grinded as he slammed the car into park without coming to a full stop. Tyler jumped out and ran for the building. The police grabbed him and held him back. If he entered the building the crime scene would be contaminated. He was assured that Karen was not inside and no blood had been found. Tyler explained about the threats left on his car and the involvement of the FBI. He was instructed to inform the agents of the current situation. Tyler sat on the curb and made the call.

  While he waited, Tyler mulled over the recent happenings. It had to involve Nick. How many lowlifes were in Nick’s pocket? Could one of them have taken Karen? How could they possibly find her? No one even knew where Nick lived. He was off the grid. But, he had to be in touch with someone. He controlled his men somehow. There was a faint memory in the back of Tyler’s mind. He had seen something important last night. The hazy memory stayed just out of reach.

  Karen was getting antsy. Caleb had knocked on her door just as she finished dressing. He said he had a small house to show her. It was the perfect flip house for Karen. He insisted she come with him now. This house would go fast. As she grabbed her keys, Caleb picked up her phone. He pushed the button that silenced it and slid it into his pocket. He needed to hurry. His goons were set to mess up the house in just a few minutes. Caleb took off at a speed that made Karen gasp. But that was an hour ago. Karen went from antsy to worried and finally to fear as Caleb drove onto a gravel road. He had stopped talking about 15 minutes ago, as Karen begged to know where they were going. When Caleb pulled up to a dilapidated shack and four armed men came out wearing black cloth bags over their faces, Karen’s fear turned to panic. She fought against the arms that reached into the car and pulled her out. She screamed until she realized there was no one to hear. She was dragged through the shack into a small room without windows and pushed down onto what appeared to be a yoga mat. They locked the door as they left. She called out to Caleb but he never came. Karen lay down and sobbed. Another man had fooled her. She had honestly begun to trust Caleb and even considered leaving the man she loved for the attention Caleb gave her.

  Caleb paced the floor of the shack. Karen’s sobs were getting to him. She was a good woman and he hated doing this to her. But his backers made it clear. He had to get everything Tyler had or pay with his own life. His life won over Karen’s. There was no contest. Caleb stepped outside so he couldn’t hear Karen crying anymore. The thugs were there to keep both Karen and him in line. The demand for Tyler to sign over everything he owned was sent as soon as he arrived with Karen. If Tyler ever discovered that Caleb was Nick, he would surely kill him. Caleb had put that worry aside. Hair color, blue contacts, plastic surgery and steroids had made him impossible to recognize. The Nick that Tyler knew was gone forever. The new and improved version was going to win this time.

  Chapter 9

  Tyler kept swearing to the police and the FBI that Nick Malone was behind everything. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe him, they just couldn’t figure out where to look for him. Karen’s neighbors were questioned, her friends were called and her family notified. The neighbors had heard a popping sound and seen men dressed all in black drive off in a black paneled van. These were the only clues.

  Officers were sent to known mob hangouts to ask questions about Nick. Others checked the database for stolen black vans. They tried pinging Karen’s cell phone, but it wasn’t near any cell towers. Tyler continued to sit on the curb, rocking back and forth. He felt useless. He racked his brain for ideas. Suddenly his cell phone buzzed. He had a text from an unknown number. It was a ransom demand. Tyler shouted for the closest FBI agent and handed him the phone. The message read, ‘Sign everything you own over to Malone Enterprises and the woman will live, otherwise she will never be found.’

  The police advised Tyler that the text was most likely from a throw away phone and therefore untraceable. He wasn’t interested in their information. He just wanted to go to his lawyer and have the paperwork made up to sign over his property. Tyler had realized that things were easily replaced, but not Karen. He loved her. She deserved better than him, yet he still intended to ask her to marry him as soon as she was found. Caleb was right, she needed his attention, not his money. The thought of Caleb brought Tyler’s mind back to the previous night. What had he seen that was so important? He went over everything he could remember, one minute at a time. Then suddenly he yelled, “Shit! It’s him. He made a fool out of me and he’s got her.”

  The FBI agent wanted to know what Tyler meant. He quickly explained, “I just hired a contract worker named Caleb Rogers. He was supposed to help me take over Nick Malone’s businesses. But I just realized that Caleb is actually Nick. He looks very different. He’s changed his hair, his face shape and buffed up, but he forgot about the tattoo. When we were in college, we fought over a girl. Her name was
Sarah. She rejected us both and we vowed never to let a woman come between us again. To seal the deal, we got matching tattoos. They said bros not hoes in cursive. They were put across our lower back. I saw it on Caleb’s back last night. He’s Nick.”

  An APB was put out for Caleb Rogers and the search was on. A property search showed only one piece of land actually owned by Caleb. It was located in a rural area an hour away. A task force was gathered and sent to the property. Tyler insisted on going along. The FBI objected, but Tyler’s friend was a captain and overruled the others. He made Tyler promise to stay out of the way.

  The trucks were parked in the trees half a mile from the shack. The task force split and half went to the left while the rest went to the right. They intended to surround the shack and look for inhabitants. A search proved unnecessary. Vehicles were in plain sight as were the hooded men on the front porch and the one in back. As they watched, Caleb came out the door holding a cloth against his face. He was heard to say, “The stupid bitch kicked me in the face when I offered her food.” The signal went out that Karen was indeed inside.

  The FBI slowly closed in. Someone stepped on a small tree branch and the snap caught the attention of the men on the porch. They fired into the trees. Gunshots rang out from all sides and the battle was on. Caleb ran inside the shack and returned with a frightened Karen as a shield. The FBI stopped shooting. Caleb demanded, “Let me go or she dies. I don’t care what happens to her anymore. I just want to live. These men want me dead now. Get me out and you get her too.” Before they answered, two shots rent the air. Caleb fell with blood pouring from a shoulder wound. He took down Karen with him. Blood was running down her face. The task force took out the men on the porch as Tyler ran out of the trees and toward Karen. A third man was brought in handcuffs from the back of the building. The battle was over.

  Karen was alive, but unconscious. She remained that way all the way to a hospital. Tyler hung onto her hand as the medics did their jobs. Caleb was in a separate ambulance. The bleeding had stopped, yet his shoulder hung useless at his side. The mob would come after him. He was a dead man walking. Caleb’s only hope was to testify against his backers and pray the government could hide him. Unless Tyler killed him first.

  The emergency room was filled with FBI and police as Karen and Caleb were rushed in. A large man with dark hair slipped in unnoticed behind the group. Tyler was pushed aside as the still unconscious Karen was taken for a CT scan. He bullied his way into Caleb’s cubicle ignoring the agents guarding him. Tyler demanded, “Why hurt her, Nick? Your hatred was always for me alone. We could have settled this without bloodshed if you hadn’t tried to hide your identity. I’m a different man than I used to be. I was taking what I believed were your legitimate companies to save them from your illegal debts.”

  Caleb was stunned to realize that Tyler knew who he was. He had to ask, “What gave my identity away?”

  Tyler quietly answered, “Bros not hoes.” He left the room as a sob came from Caleb.

  Chapter 10

  Tyler sat at Karen’s side waiting for her to wake up. Her parents were on the way and he knew the nurses would soon make him leave. He kissed her forehead and sang her favorite love song into her ear. A tear ran down his cheek as she lay so still. He swore, “I love you, Karen. I would have given up everything for you. I’m so sorry for all that has happened. You deserve much better than me. Marry me anyway. Please wake up!”

  Running feet were heard in the hallway. Obviously someone was in trouble. Tyler stepped from the room for just a moment and witnessed doctor’s rushing into Caleb’s room. He could hear yelling and the sound of an alarm. Caleb hadn’t been fatally injured, so what could be wrong? Tyler asked himself if he cared and discovered that, yes, he did. Caleb had once been a funny young man who was Tyler’s best friend. That young man still meant a lot to him. He turned back into the room as a moan came from Karen. Her eyes opened and nothing else mattered.

  Karen healed quickly. Her parents took turns staying with her at the hospital and then at her apartment. Tyler was sidelined for a while. That was fine. He had a lot of things to deal with. Caleb had died. Actually he had been killed. The large dark haired man had dressed as a doctor, gone into his room, and injected an air bubble into Caleb’s IV. He slipped out of the hospital without being caught. Tyler was sad, but resigned. They would have found Caleb even if the FBI had managed to hide him. Tyler wanted to be safe and he needed that for Karen too. He was determined to marry her and have a family.

  Tyler released all the companies he had taken over from Caleb to Malone Enterprises. The mob was welcome to them. He paid for Caleb’s burial in honor of their young friendship. He had one more errand to run before he headed to Karen’s apartment. Her parents left early that morning. She was his once again.

  Karen looked beautiful in her silk robe. Her long shining hair hid the small mark where the bullet had gouged out a small section near her left ear. She smiled and guided Tyler to the couch. There were books piled on the coffee table. Karen loved to read anything from romance to sci-fi. There was a stack of books about flipping houses too. Tyler was ready to help her with that. It seemed to be her passion, so it would become his too. He pulled Karen into his arms and held on tight as he said, “I almost lost you. That can never happen again. I’m not taking over any more businesses. I’ll concentrate on the ones I already have and make them better. I want your help with that. Can I count on you?”

  Karen kissed his lips and answered, “Of course. But I want something of my own. I want to start a business flipping houses. I want to start with a small house of my own. The money is already set aside. Please take this seriously. It’s important to me.”

  Tyler replied, “Let’s start looking for your house tonight. There are hundreds of websites where houses are listed. You’re going to need to teach me all about this. I can rebuild a business, but I know nothing about rehabbing a house. Can I live in the first one with you?”

  Karen looked confused as she asked, “Why would you want to? Your home is big and beautiful.”

  Tyler smiled as he said, “I’m considering selling my place and investing the money in your business. Besides, I want to live with my wife. That is if you’ll have me.” Tyler slid off the couch and onto one knee. He held up a small blue box from Tiffany’s. He popped it open to reveal an emerald-cut diamond surrounded by sapphires.

  Karen jumped up and tackled him to the floor, kissing his face. She said, “I thought I had been dreaming when I heard you in the hospital. You said you wanted to marry me. It was real wasn’t it?”

  Tyler’s answer was lost in the kisses Karen rained upon his face. Their future looked bright.

  ***

  A year later, Tyler entered a small blue and white house by the lake. Karen was in the kitchen arranging flowers in a vase. The tiny house had turned out beautiful and had proved to be the perfect home for the first six months of their marriage. Tomorrow there was to be an open house. Karen was ready to sell her first home and had already picked out a larger one. Two more small ones on the lake were waiting to be flipped. The large one was for Tyler and Karen. They would need it soon. Karen was pregnant with the first of many children, they hoped. Tyler vowed to protect his family at all costs. Flipping was more fun than takeovers anyway.

  THE END

  Bonus 2 of 20

  Hunting for Love

  Description

  Agent Amanda Kowaski might only be a rookie, but she's as ambitious as anybody in the Bureau. Her green eyes burn with a desire for justice, which gives her little time or energy for anything else. And that’s just the way she likes it. She's not interested in any sort of romantic entanglements. Or at least that's what she keeps telling herself

  But as her investigation into a sexy, mysterious, Russian spy, intensifies, she feels a whirl of strange emotions and tingling sensations, bubbling up inside of her.

  But it's not just the potential Russian spy that begins to arouse her sexual urges.


  She also finds herself incredibly turned on by her older, tough talking, hard drinking partner, Nolte.

  Which direction will she turn? Will she risk her up and coming career and begin a torrid love affair with her partner? Or will she go even further, committing treason in the name of love, and begin a passionate relationship with the sexy Russian?

  Love and desire make her lose control of herself. She hates it. She loves it. Yes, she absolutely loves it! Two men fighting over her. Two men loving her.

  Oh, what an incredible feeling!

  Chapter 1

  Kowaski slammed her laptop shut and stood up from her desk. She paced around her office, a frown etched on her face. Frustration shown in her eyes. She rubbed her neck. Her entire body was stiff and sore. She'd been sitting in that chair for the last six hours, locked in her office, away from everyone else at the Bureau. As much as she hated to admit it, this case was starting to get to her.

  Take it easy, her father would've said. You’re just a rookie. Don't push things too hard. You’ll end up alienating your fellow officers.

  If he was still alive to say that to her, she would've rolled her eyes and smirked. She was never one to take it easy. Never one to calm down. She was full of ambition. Rookie or not. She only knew one way to work. Only one way to live. Full throttle, pedal to the metal.